Leftover Candy
by Kristen3
Summary: A bowl full of uneaten Halloween candy brings back unpleasant memories for Daphne, but Niles is right there to help her see things in a different light. One-shot. Rating is for a tiny bit of innuendo.


"Niles, what are we going to do with all of this?" Daphne asked, as she picked up the leftover Halloween candy. "I thought we'd get a lot more kids tonight." She sighed.

"We keep it," Niles answered immediately. He walked over to the bowl and removed a fun-sized chocolate bar, eating it in a single bite. "See? There's already one less." He grinned.

Daphne rolled her eyes. "We can _not_ keep this here. You know how I am about junk food. I could easily eat all of this candy by meself. And then I'd be big as a house again."

Niles removed the bowl from her hands, setting it on the coffee table before taking his wife in his arms. He understood now that this wasn't a laughing matter for her. She was recalling the painful days of her weight-gain, shortly after they'd become a couple. When she lost the weight, it seemed all of that was behind her. But suddenly, it had come rushing back. "It's all right," Niles whispered softly. "That's not going to happen."

"How can you be sure? Don't you remember the last time? I was hiding sweets all over your brother's apartment. It was bloody awful."

"Yes, Daphne, I remember. But I also know you, and I think you're far too smart to ever get that out of control again."

"You're right," Daphne replied, suddenly smiling. "I'm going to get rid of all of this right now." She picked up the bowl and walked toward the kitchen. Niles followed after, wondering what she had in mind. When he opened the kitchen door, he saw her standing over the garbage pail, preparing to throw the candy out. But as she looked at all the neatly-wrapped bars, her resolve weakened. She looked around the room. "I know, I'll put them here in this cabinet." She opened up one of the kitchen cupboards, placing the bowl on the top shelf. Then she shut the door firmly. "There. They won't go to waste, or to _my _ waist," she grinned.

Niles walked over to her. "My love, I'm very proud of you. But I think you're being just a bit too hard on yourself. There's nothing wrong with having an occasional chocolate bar now and then. I've worked with patients before who've had problems like yours. Usually, giving something up completely only makes things harder. You focus even more on the object you're trying to avoid, and the temptation becomes overwhelming."

Daphne listened, understanding that what he said made sense. Even now, it seemed those candy bars stored in the cabinet were calling her name. She had thought it would be a simple case of "out of sight, out of mind," but it clearly wasn't. "So what do I do?" she asked.

"You just have to set limits. If you allow yourself one candy bar a day, then you won't spend the rest of the time thinking about how badly you want one. I'm not saying it'll be easy, but it's worth a try, don't you think?"

"Do you really think I can stop after one?" Daphne asked.

Niles nodded. "My love, I think you could do anything, if you put your mind to it. I'll be right here to help you in any way I can." He kissed her.

When the kiss ended, Daphne took a moment to look in his eyes. She could tell without a doubt that he loved her. Even after she had put on over 60 pounds, Niles had never seen her as anything other than beautiful. It had been his unconditional love and support which eventually helped her to lose the weight. She knew not all men were as wonderful as her husband. Over the years, she'd had many opportunities to see just how lucky she was to have him.

She felt a rush of love for him, and soon their lips were joined once more. _This_ was another sort of addiction, but one which would be far less dangerous to her figure. "You know, I probably wouldn't have to have just one a day, if I exercised a bit," she whispered.

There was no doubt in their minds as to what form of exercise she was referring to. "You're right," Niles replied, grinning, just before kissing her again. "See? This could be fun for both of us."

After one more lingering kiss, Daphne took her husband by the hand, leading him out into the living room and up the stairs. It was hard to imagine that, just a few moments ago, she had thought the leftover candy could only lead to a horrible reminder of one of the worst experiences of her life. But Niles had allowed her to see the situation in an entirely different way. As she opened the door to their bedroom, Daphne realized this wasn't really anything new. After all, Niles' love had completely transformed her life years ago. And, for that, she would always be grateful.

**The End**


End file.
